Tag: cricket

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The house is tidied up. Everything has got a good dusting, a bloke came out to clean the carpets, and I’ve taken the trimmer to the hedge for a final time. It’s polishing a turd to be honest, but I’ll be blown if I’m letting them get away with any of the deposit when they haven’t bothered to fix any of the issues that have been repeatedly raised over the past 24 months. Luckily, whilst sorting out some paperwork in the move, I came across a post inspection letter from the back end of 2020 where they stated that they were going to sort out the peeling wallpaper and “leak marks” (which was actually damp caused by the pointing being shot) but haven’t which will provide some ammunition to the case.

Another Lancs/Yorks T20 cricket match, this time at Headingley. Another underwhelming result, but an entertaining evening anyhow.

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The house is no more. I’d grown tired of the lack of forthcoming upkeep on various bits of the premises coupled with another rent increase. Whilst I could cope with that by itself if it was the only increase, factoring in the cost of utilities, fuel, and pretty much everything else and it starts me worrying about whether it’s worth it. I’d been looking around but came across a flat at a nice price and got lucky with it. The resultant savings in rent and utility bills should provide some buffer for the forthcoming period of shit.

The move itself went generally without a hitch. I employed Doc Rob as an unwilling volunteer and Pastor Matt as a willing one, thus increasing the manpower available by 50% on the previous move. This was worthwhile move, as getting a washing machine up two flights of stairs was somewhat interesting. We managed it though, thanks chaps.

  • Somehow, I was able to fit this move in around a horrendous number of other activities which had been booked well in advance but all fell around the same sort of time, including:
    various pub shifts.
  • an evening out in Manchester, as I’d booked tickets for the Lancashire v Yorkshire T20 fixture at Old Trafford on what turned out to be the night before the move. Underwhelming result.
  • an evening out in Birmingham, as I’d booked tickets (in 2019) for the Pet Shop Boys gig at the NEC on what turned out to be the night of the move. Doc Rob was practically ushering me out of the door at 5pm to make me actually go to it. An enjoyable gig, although they opened with my favourite PSB track – Suburbia, for the record – so the excitement was spent relatively quickly.
  • a visit to the blood bank.
  • a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee party. Lol, actually this got binned off as the new letting agent actually sent round a decorator on the same morning to repaint the lounge in the flat, three days after I’d moved in. Something the letting agent of the house never managed to do in the two years I was there. Promising start.
  • Another Queen’s Platinum Jubilee party. I actually managed to make that one.

The keys to the house go back in a couple of weeks time, so it’s just the fun task of tidying the place up to look forward to. As well as work, another cricket fixture, another pub shift and probably some other appointments as well. It’s going to be rather busy for the next few days.

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August 2nd was apparently Social Media Detox Day. I celebrated this event by deleting my Instagram and Twitter accounts. I still have a very limited use for my little-updated Facebook account so that survives for the time being, but I’m still eyeing up the deletion menu.

The majority of the month that wasn’t spent working was spent travelling around and spending money on hotels. I took the Grannywagon for a run up to the North to see some friends and former work colleagues. There was a somewhat boozy pub crawl of Preston which was quite enjoyable, with a few new micro-type pubs now in existance which got a visit. This was followed by a stop off in Southport where I didn’t see the folks, as they’re still being awkward about the pox.

I then took a run down South to re-visit Basildon. This time was for my first live gig in some time, being the initial live outing of Kunt and the Gang’s punk outfit, The Kunts. That song was performed. The attempt at staying over demonstrated the generally poor design of the town, which has no hotels in the centre of it. I ended up in a Premier Inn located in a retail park that was a 25 minute walk away, and even then it was up a track around the back of the site. I also learnt that MegaTrain is still a thing, even after Stagecoach lost the Midland Mainline rail franchise. As a result, I got return trains to London for £30 and at reasonable times too.

Got a good day of cricket at Headingley, at the first day of the England-India third test, including that India 78 all out collapse. I only just made the first bowl as the trains went to pot in the morning, resulting in a two hour delay outside Wakefield and eventually resorting to a bus into Leeds. At least I’ll get the fare back thanks to delay repay.